Real-Time

Description

Real-time refers to gameplay that happens without waiting for player input, i.e. in real time. Action games are real-time by default and therefore do not require this tag.

The real-time tag is used for RTS (real-time strategy) games, many managerial simulations which are not turn-based (e.g. Transport Tycoon), as well as puzzle games that require quick thinking, such as Tetris variants.

This tag is also used to describe combat in certain role-playing games (the ATB system of many Final Fantasy games or the Infinity Engine combat in Baldur's Gate and some other Western RPGs). This type of combat requires the player to manage the activities of the combatants in real time, and should not be confused with that of Action RPGs, where combat is action-oriented.

Rare examples of real-time games outside of the aforementioned genres (e.g. The Last Express) also exist.